Hobbyzone Firebird Commander 2 RTF Electric

I just bought a Firebird Commander 2 today from my local hobby shop, based on recommendations here on Amazon. Now, let me first explain that I'm a beginner RC pilot, which is part of the reason I bought this plane. Initially, I had trouble getting it into the air, but after a crash or two, I was able to get it going.

Even though this has Anti-Crash Technology (ACT), it didn't prevent me from totalling the plane about 10 minutes after the first flight. Now, you can attribute this to my lack of R/C flying skills (although I am a real pilot, I realize this skill doesn't necessarily translated to R/C), but I think the big problem is not having a seperate elevator control. As it comes, it has one channel dedicated to the throttle and one channel dedicated to the aileron (tail) control for turning. This should be ideal for beginners (one less thing to worry about), but the problem is that if you are in a steep dive (because of wind, a steep turn, or whatever), your only...Read more

I got this plane for Christmas having never flown a plane before. I am relatively new to the RC scene and had previously only had a truck. This is a whole different beast. The plane is very easy to setup - less than 5 minutes and I was ready to fly (except for the 3 hour battery charge). I never flew a plane before and my first flight was about 5 minutes. Easy take off from throw and plane was easy to maneuver on the way up. At this point, I realized I was in trouble and didn't know how to land. Winds were a bit stronger than recommended 7 mph so this was a bad combination. I throttled down and caught a little down draft. Anticrash technology didn't save it from the tree. The wing is pretty easy to break. Tried again and flew for only a minute. The wing is nearly completely destroyed now but it was worth that 5 minute flight. I am addicted now and ready to buy the 11 dollar wing to start again. I have tried to tape the wing but I don't think that is going to work too...Read more

This plane is a blast!
Try using a computer flight simulator to get comfortable with the basic control and tracking. This is the easiest plane to fly but it is not trivial. ACT or not, there is a good chance you will crash when first learning about the direction of the plane, wind, hazards, etc. Definitely have your first flights in NO wind. Parts are easy to find and very robust.